The All-Powerful Enzyme!

Despite the casualties on the grounds below Lady Liberty's sandals, Roxie's rescue mission was what a military commander would consider a total success. She had been returned back to the safety of her loving partner, with no permanent damage done to either her or the children she was bearing. Even with Jackson's standing point on god, the safety net of Syd's sanity with the saving of Roxie had felt like divine intervention. It indeed could be a monumental turning point for the kid, at a place where it could've quickly gone the other way and had been a genesis of Syd's downfall. To that, Jackson raised his glass. No matter who stood above humanity on a white cloud, if anyone, he tipped his hat to those that determined their fate, for they had a kid that Jackson loved as if he were his own son.

As there was often in the Porters' line of work, with such a stark victory, came a bitter defeat - a hit hard enough to stagger any man. It wasn't a blow to the Porter industry's papers, or to her vast wallet, but to the souls of the men who inhabited her lineage and wore her identity like a nametag. It was the death of Warren Porter. In the past, it was warranted and almost expected. Jackson had done his best to protect the man and earned his own scars in the process. With the spotlight fading, they had let down their guard. Similar to when Jackson lowered his fists around the time the Porters had to meet with the IWU. The news hit him in a spot only a Dempsey would've been capable of striking. One that made him feel intensely vulnerable, like childhood trauma. He felt another life slip from his fingers, and another weight slide onto James's ever drooping crown.

The incident at the apartment had sent James into hiding, and Jackson wasn't going to make any exceptions. The Porter security in New York absolutely appalled him. The fact that a few Italians had managed to plant an explosive inside James's apartment was beyond acceptable. Fingers were going to be pointed and heads were certainly going to roll. If they hadn't been in such a position, Jackson would find it desirably to layoff half the workforce. Unfortunately, they were in no position to thin their numbers. Instead, James would have to remain at the mansion, where the Morettis wouldn't dare step foot on. With James's presence gone, a new face would have to take his place. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Conor fit perfectly at the Porter throne. With him there, it was either redemption for his fall into madness, or the beginning of a cold, cold winter. By the wander in Jackson's stare, he was unsure of which path his friend would tread.

With a glass of whiskey in hand, Jackson sat in his familiar seat in front of the mahogany wood. His vision fixated on the smoke trailing from his burning cigar, turning it in his fingertips like a spinning cog. "This is it, right," Jackson contemplated, his eyes finally looking to Conor in front of him. "This is fuckin' it." Jackson looked to the glass in his hand, shaking his head softly. "I'd love to talk about anything else; the shipments, the clubs' revenues, the bookies' sheets, your fuckin' ball team - the Yankees is it? Anything other than those Italian pricks. We don't get that luxury, though, do we?" Jackson stuck the cigar in the side of his teeth, his eyes wander to James in the corner now. "We can't do a thing until they're gone, mate. Not a bloody thing." Jackson narrowed his eyes, his frustration bleeding through his beading eyes. "We can't even keep 'em out of our fuckin' houses," Jackson emphasized strongly, so much so that spit shot from his over bitten lip.

Jackson rubbed the bottom of his nose with his knuckles, as he often did when he felt cornered. Back in the day, he'd do it before the bell rang for his fight. A simple habit of wiping the blood and sweat that dripped from his nose turned to a tool that helped focus his thoughts, like a sudden-change switch. "Conor," Jackson started, looking to the man in the driver's seat. "You're a fresh face for us, and we need to take advantage of that. I think this could be a good opportunity to strike relations with a family outside of New York. A family that would give us a hand, cause God knows we fuckin' need it." Jackson took a sip of the whiskey, his eyes finding James once more. His stare faltered, as the sight of the man gave him a pain in his chest. No matter the man's condition, he'd always be the head of the Porters, even in death. In the cathedra or not, James's say was final. "It would only help us."

Add alcohol and stir!

It turned out that the news of twins had brought Syd more than just happiness and pride - it had inspired a strength in him to step up and deal with the other change that had occured that night. In the wake of Warren’s unexpected death, James had passed the torch onto Conor and stepped down from his position as mob boss. It made Syd realise that he had taken his father’s fortitude for granted, that he had been suffering more than he let on. After reflecting on the situation, he had faith that Conor would do a great job - he had always trusted and looked up to his uncle - but it would still take some adjusting. For as long as Syd had known him, James had always been the patriarch, and it was odd to imagine that he would be taking orders from somebody else instead. Nevertheless, he understood that in this time of change and mourning he needed to hold his head up and be on his best behaviour. Roxie gave him a lot to focus on with her recovery so he spent most of his time tending to her whilst also making sure to spend some quality time with his family. Since his release from hospital had been met with the harrowing news of Roxie’s kidnapping, he had mostly kept to himself and therefore hadn’t fully settled back into his old life.

Over the last 3 weeks, Syd had begun his gradual return to his nightclub. It had completely bounced back since the investigation of his suicide attempt had brought it to a temporary closure, and he had his personal assistant, Benjamin Teller, to thank for it. It surprised him to learn that the man had managed to deal with the sudden change without any experience besides his knowledge of what Syd’s job entailed, and so he was considering making the man a co-owner of the club for his undying effort and ultimate success. He had already given him a raise and handed him a handsome bonus for keeping his business afloat, but that didn’t seem like enough. Besides, Syd wasn’t quite ready to make a full return. His priority for now was looking after Roxie and showing up for his father.

Today was Thanksgiving, one of Syd’s favourite days of the year. Having never known the warmth of it in his early childhood it served as an extra special reminder of how fortunate he was to have been adopted into such a large, loving household. There was nothing he loved more than a large family gathering and it had been something to look forward to after the months of war, trauma and heartbreak that the family had endured. Nevertheless, he was more than aware that the day would be different this year. Warren’s death was fresh on everyone’s minds, and this would also be Roxie’s first Thanksgiving away from her own family. Syd felt especially bad for her, since she had never known until recently of her father’s true intentions, as well as the fact that he was now dead because of him. He felt responsible for making sure that Roxie’s day was the best that it could be and that she felt like a part of his family.

After getting dressed into his best tuxedo, Syd had to sneak downstairs to look for a comb, hoping to avoid being roped into helping out before he was ready. Only a month of living at his parents’ house and already he had begun to scatter his belongings all over the place. He was rummaging through shelves and drawers when Roxie stepped into the lounge and caught his eye. Immediately he forgot what he was looking for; his jaw dropped and he couldn’t stop his eyes from running up and down her body.

Before he could find the words to compliment how beautiful she looked, she approached him with two crochet bears and two pairs of pink booties in her hands. “Oh…” A tender smile spread across his face as he picked them up to admire them. Roxie was right - knowing how much his mother loved to dote on her own children, there was no doubt in his mind that she would spoil her granddaughters rotten. “She won’t stop there, let me tell you.” His gaze lingered on the boots, unable to get over how small they were. It had been such a long time since Thomas and Leo were born, he couldn’t even imagine a pair of feet so tiny.

He received her kiss with another warm smile, placing a hand on her waist to bring her in closer, the other on her belly. She complimented his appearance, which reminded him of what he was looking for. “Oh, I’ve still gotta fix my hair, look!” he said, playfully sticking his tongue out as he ran his hands through it to demonstrate how wild it was. Once he had found his comb - beneath the mirror, unsurprisingly - he leaned forward to give her another kiss. “I love you,” he murmured with an adoring smile. Then, as he was leaving the room, he turned back to check her out again. “God, I’m gonna have a hard time taking my eyes off you tonight.”

Once he’d bounded up the stairs to his bedroom, Syd styled his hair and fixed his cuffs together with a set of four-leafed clover cuff links just to add some of his Irish identity to the American holiday. All the while, his thoughts were on Roxie. It felt good to finally use the word ‘love’ with her and even despite the occasional tension that arose from not talking about Stefano, Syd felt compelled to tell her that he loved her all the time and often had to force himself to tone it down. To see her accept his help and welcome his company reassured him, for the most part at least, that her love for him was strong enough to forgive him for what he had done. For that, he felt extremely lucky.

As he slid a selection of handsome rings over each knuckle, his eyes fell on the platinum wedding band that had been a part of his left hand since he was 20 years old. Not just that, but a part of his identity. Syd froze as he stared at it, a solemn expression falling across his face. It wasn’t just a symbol of his former marriage to Skye; since her passing, it had become almost an embodiment of her, seeming to keep a part of her with him at all times. It was also a symbol of hope to him, a reminder that he was capable of happiness. For a long time, he had needed that. But now, looking down at it, he found himself thinking of Roxie.

After looking down at it for a while, Syd took a deep breath and wandered over to a chest of drawers in the corner of his room. In the top drawer was a photograph from the wedding - they had kept them, of course, but after a while put most of them out of sight. He was holding her hand, in conversation with an emotional Sinead, and Skye’s eye had caught the camera just as the photograph had been taken. It was so candid, and yet captured her happiness and tranquillity completely. It had been a while since Syd had last looked at the picture, since he kept most of the wedding photographs in his own house. It had been a while, too, since he had last felt Skye’s presence - the last time had been during his stay at the psychiatric hospital.

Syd gently stood the framed photograph atop the chest of drawers and cleared his throat, looking his late wife in the eyes. For a while he stalled, not sure what exactly to say. “I know you’re listening,” he quietly addressed her. “I know you’ve been watching me, too. But I...I wanted to do right by you and tell you myself, so…” With a solemn expression, Syd looked down to his ring and sighed. Slowly, and with a shaking hand, he twisted it off and held it up to her picture. “Ten years ago, you put this on my finger as a symbol of our eternal love, even though we both knew you had months to live. I kept it on to honour you, Skye, because that love never went away and I thought that as long as I held onto the pain...I’d always have you with me.” A lump had formed in his throat, but he went on. “You were the love of my life. I was the happiest I’d ever been when you were here and ever since then I’ve looked down at this ring as a reminder of how happy I was...and that some day, I may feel it again. Well...Skye...that day has come, now.”

Syd placed the ring down and removed the back of the frame. Then, with much delicacy, he slotted the ring in behind the photograph and put the frame back together with the ring now inside. It had left a pale line around his finger, and when he looked down at it, it almost looked like another man's hand. Returning his attention to the photograph, Syd’s eyes glistened with tears. “I’m in love with Roxie Carriveau,” he told her, a small smile crossing his features at the sound of her name. “She’s brave, strong, intelligent, opinionated...and God, so beautiful. She’s stuck by me through my worst and shown me endless patience - the kind that’s going to make her such a wonderful mam to our daughters. She’s tender, loving, silly, fun, daring... Skye, she’s everything I want in a partner, and far more than I deserve. You’ll always be special to me and I’ll never forget what we had. But my heart belongs to Roxie, now. I’m...I’m happy again.”

Things and Stuff

As was usual for James, he woke at 5am but instead of rushing out of bed to have his morning workout, he remained awake as he mulled over the many things that were on his mind. It was great having the stresses of the business lifted from his shoulders, but he had to admit it would take some time adjusting to having so much spare time every day. The family and friends had held a service for Warren a couple of days earlier, which helped James overcome the grief that had been clouding his mind since Warren's death. Though he suspected it would take some time to fully overcome the loss. He understood his mother and the rest of Warren's family were having their own service, but he knew better than to have attempted trying to get to Italy to attend. Rayna was upset, as was to be expected after hearing of her son's death, but she didn't blame James and that gave him some relief. He had since spoken to Warren's father, whose feelings were very different to Rayna's and predictably held James responsible for the young man's death. That part was difficult, as it was made clear by the man that James' half-siblings in Italy, Jordan and Maria, would have nothing to do with him in the future.

When Lucy woke, James remained in the bedroom as he went through some notes and meetings he still needed to pass on to Conor. Eventually, he got dressed in his workout clothes and got on with his daily exercise. He was sure Lucy was going to fatten him up now he was home more often for her cooked meals, so he wanted to make sure he didn't end up out of shape.

The afternoon, he had spent in the garage starting to look at fixing up some of his old cars. It had been a project he'd had to put off for many months as he'd never had much time while he was the boss of the Irish Mob. He'd been working in the garage for a few hours before he saw Conor's car pulling up in the driveway, prompting to return inside to attend the meeting with Conor and Jackson.

*****​

It had been difficult seeing Aliana so upset when he'd told her he was taking over the business and he'd felt like it was an impossible situation. He couldn't back out of his duties so all he could do was be there to reassure and comfort her. Aliana soon came around to the idea and seemed willing to support him. Along with Leo's relaxed approach to it all, Conor had felt the pressure lifted from him as the thing he'd been most worried about was losing his wife because of the business.

The last couple of weeks had been busy for Conor, much of his times spent handing over some of his usual duties to senior employees and sitting with James to ease into the new role. Conor hadn't wanted his brother-in-law to be spending too much time on business whilst he was still grieving, but in the end he realised James was doing it more for a distraction. Torn between needing to retire to spend time with his family and needing to fill the sudden void in his diary, James seemed eager to at least assist Conor on an advisory basis. Conor felt comfortable with that, seeing it as a workable arrangement.

Conor had still found time to attend his counselling sessions with Dr. Henderson and they seemed to be going pretty well. However, Conor had learned how to give the counsellor only what was needed to get a tick next to his name after each session for the parole board to be appeased with. He wasn't willing to delve into his deeper past like he had done with Maddox. The bare minimum was all Dr. Henderson would be getting from him. The fact was, Conor still had two months of his parole remaining, so he knew he needed to play it carefully until he was finally free of having to attend the sessions at all. That also meant, he wasn't about to let Maddox loose any time soon - certainly not until his parole was up. Instead, Conor had helped Maddox put an end to his lease and clear out his apartment. The former counsellor remained guarded in one of the mob's safe-houses. Conor would be lying if he said he hadn't sought advice from Maddox. After all, the man already knew about Conor's affiliation with the mob so he could provide him with more effective counselling that Dr. Henderson ever could. It was all working in Maddox's favour - convincing Conor that the counsellor would be best being shipped out of the country rather than having a bloody death at the Mob's command.

With that in mind, Conor wasn't ignorant to the fact he and Syd had never completely made up since the day his nephew punched him and yelled at him for working with Maddox. It was something that had been on his mind for a few weeks and he knew they needed to talk soon, especially now he was in charge of the business.

Conor had been up bright and early that morning. He'd made blueberry pancakes for Aliana and Leo before he had to rush off into the city to make sure there were enough soldiers out protecting the key businesses. Given that it was Thanksgiving, he wouldn't put it past the Italian snakes to take advantage of any relaxed security. He went out to gather information from Adam about the gang who had attacked Savannah and Danny at the arcade. Conor had names of the ringleaders and had yet to decide how he would deal with them. His instinct was to give Adam the go ahead to kill the men in question and ensure the remaining thugs were disbanded. For today at least, he knew any business discussions would be focused on the Morettis. The smaller fish could wait a little while longer.

*****​

Present...

Conor made sure he was home in the afternoon to change his suit before driving to Lucy's house with Aliana and Leo. When they got there, the mansion was already bustling with energy and it wasn't long before Aliana went to help Lucy in the kitchen. The kids all seemed full of energy but Conor decided he'd pay them some of his usual attention once his meeting was over.

Conor initially found it strange sitting in James' seat at the desk, with Jackson and the man himself sat at the other side facing him. He was used to being the one seated alongside Jackson and being led by James, so it took a little time to feel comfortable in the seat. He imagined it would take even longer to get used to being the one directing the discussion rather than following James' lead. Still, by the time James and Jackson had joined him, Conor had settled comfortably in the leather executive chair and seemed confidently positioned at the boss' side of the desk. Whilst he knew James would offer support where he could, Conor was fully aware he and Jackson would be spending a lot of time working together. Luckily, they'd already done plenty of that and tended to make a good team.

Jackson and James had both poured themselves a whiskey each, whilst Conor had a barely touched glass of water within reach. It was a good thing he had limited his drinking since prison, as he hadn't had much time for it in the last three weeks anyway. Still, he intended to relax his rules once the meeting was over and the festivities could properly start. He figured he'd earned a few drinks by now. Conor slowly nodded his head when Jackson made it clear there was one pressing matter than overshadowed everything else. The Morettis. The Italians needed taking down and it need edto happen before they could make another devastating attack on the Irish Mob.

Conor nodded his head, already knowing Jackson and James would be valuable advisers to him. Along with his intention to keep Mitch on the payroll, he was feeling optimistic about the team he was forming behind him. Conor nodded his head when it was pointed out he was a fresh face in charge. He knew he had good relationships with many of their employees and associates within the city, so hoped he would also bring some more energy and fresh motivation to the gang. It wasn't that he didn't believe James was a good leader, but the man had been overworked and it had started to show. Conor knew he could approach their employees with fresh eyes and encourage them further to accomplish a victory in their present war. With the suggestion to reach out to other families in neighbouring states, Conor slowly nodded his head and sent James a glance to see if he could elaborate.

James cleared his throat and sat forward. Having opted not to butt in or take over the meeting, he accepted Conor's cue to speak up. "It can't harm us to reach out to some of the other families. From the top of my head, I can think of two families in New Jersey who could be useful to us. There's the Sheppards and the DeVores. There's also the Byrne family in Connecticut - they assisted Jack and Liam back in the day, including helping Arlene start up her life away from New York...." he trailed off.

"Alright, James..." Conor began, briefly pausing as he realised how weird it was that he was about to give his former boss an order. "Over the weekend, can you get their addresses and other details together for us? The kind of businesses they've got going and likely manpower and firepower they can potentially offer us?"

James nodded and sent his brother-in-law an encouraging smile. "Sure, I can do that," he confirmed.

Conor returned James' smile before looking to Jackson and siting back in the leather chair. "Once we decide who's best to approach first, you, me and a couple of the other lads could pay them a visit. Who do you propose would be best suited to join us both?" he asked Jackson. All the while, he became fully away of the smell of dinner being cooked, but he was pretty sure they had some time before their wives burst in to drag them to the table.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Peter knew how worried his wife was about Savvy, after he'd told her what happened she became very upset. Peter had confidence in Savannah however, knowing that sometimes she could be stronger than his wife. Despite that, he still offered his full support to her and checked in with her everyday while she stayed with them. Danny came over often, which was fine with Peter now that he had gotten to know the young man, his job was a slight concern but Peter wasn't one to judge people for their area of work, given what he did for a living.

Thanksgiving had arrived quickly and Peter was eagerly looking forward to having a good time with his family tonight. They needed a good time after the months of torment and destruction. Peter was probably going to be the last one to get ready, but he didn't mind as he sat on the bed admiring his wife as she looked down at the outfit she was going to wear tonight. Tilting his head with interest, Peter listened as Sinead told him that she was going to make this day even more special. His heart skipped a beat and for a moment, he almost thought he knew what was coming but squashed the idea as to not get his hopes up. Taking his hands in hers, Sinead gazed into his eyes and told him that he was going to be a dad again. Immediately getting up on his feet, Peter wrapped his arms around his wife. "That's amazing, love!" He murmured into her hair but before he could say much more about the happy news, Sinead brought a hand to her mouth, sobbing. Taken aback by the sudden change in emotions, Peter stepped away, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her closely.

"Sin?" He asked, pausing as she moved away from him to sit down on the bed, Peter's arms dropped to his sides before he moved to sit next to her. "Hey, darling? What's wrong? Isn't this suppose to be a happy moment?" He asked gently, moving to take one of her hands in his. Toying with it gently, she spoke about needing to tell him something and that she prayed he would forgive her. Red flags immediately went up in his mind and his imagination wildly fled through assumptions as to what she had to say to him that was so important that it needed forgiveness. Staring at her openly, Peter didn't know what to say, fearing the worst. "Sinead? Is-is everything alright? You know there's not much in this world that I can be mad at you for, love. You can tell me anything."
with: Sinead Misty Gray

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

This was one of the only days that Finn had off this month and he was looking forward to enjoying every minute of it. Having taken care of a few of his family members just 20 days before, Finn prayed that they wouldn't have to be sent to his hospital again. He felt horrible about spending so much time away from home, leaving George in their big home all by himself but Finn had asked for time off in December and was ready to surprise his love with it. Having gotten ready at the house, the pair had arrived at the Porters house as the rain started pouring even hard than it had before. George peered out into the rain and joked that they should have brought an umbrella because his hair would be ruined. "Your hair looks lovely no matter what, Georgie. Just a little water." He joked in return before stepping out of the car. The two ran towards the porch and hopped up the steps together before facing each other.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Finn grinned, wiping a hand over his chin as George bit his lip. Giving a light laugh at his question, Finn placed his hands on George's shoulders before leaning in to place a kiss on his forehead. "Well I can't return you now. I forgot the receipt. Guess I'm stuck with you forever, and that means my family just needs to deal with it" He teased before moving some of George's hair from his forehead. "They love you, Georgie. Lucy will not shut up about how helpful you are with the kids. You are a genius, a mighty handsome one at that. Nothing to be nervous about, love. I promise." With that, he pressed a kiss to the man's lips before opening the door to the inside.

The dogs crowded around them like usual but what was unusual was that there were no kids running and screaming around. "Huh? Normally the kiddos are terrorizing the house? Odd." He murmured, taking off his coat before moving to help George out of his. Suddenly, Thomas bashfully popped his head out from the corner of the lounge. "Hi Uncle Finn! Uncle George!" He murmured, tugging at his collar as his neck tie felt too tight. "Thomas, lad! Where are the other kids?" Finn asked to which Thomas laughed. "I said we could play hide and seek, but I can't be bothered to find all of them now. Think they'll get the hint?" The Doctor barked out a laugh. "So everyone's hiding but you aren't going to look for them after all?" Finn clarified as Thomas blushed. "I just needed a moment to get this. stupid. tie. off." He said, each word being emphasized as he tugged at his tie. Finn shook his head and stepped forward quickly to help him with taking off the tie. Thomas sighed with relieve, "Thanks Uncle Finn." He murmured before throwing the tie on the ground. Pulling a nervous look at Finn looked to George, Thomas ran off to finally find the others and Finn took George's hand as they stepped into the lounge. "Lucy will kill me if she finds out I helped him take that off." He murmured.
with: George Misty Gray

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Lucy was so busy in the kitchen, she hadn't noticed that one of the kids slipped into the pantry. When she went to reach for some flour, her hand instantly touched Lorelei's face and Lucy let out a curse. The little redhead giggled gleefully. "How many times do I have to tell you kids that the kitchen is no place to hide!" Lucy lectured her and Lorelei frowned softly. "I'm sorry Aunt Lucy, I just didn't want to get caught first this time!" Lucy sighed and shook her head, letting the little girl get out of the pantry before reaching to grab the flour. Suddenly, Leo and the other children ran through the kitchen with Thomas chasing after them, Lorelei disappeared into the crowd following behind them as Ali scolded her son. Lucy watched the kids leave the room before looking to Ali with an exhausted expression on her face. "Selective hearing. Thomas is notorious for it but now I'm thinking all kids do it." Ali's words made Lucy laugh lightly, "I was just telling Roxie to enjoy the silence...but I don't think we will be graced with that tonight." Lucy murmured before moving to the oven as the timer went off. She'd put the turkey in hours ago and now it was time to see the final product. Ali asked how James was holding up and Lucy let out a soft sigh as she went to grab oven mittens from the drawer. "I think he's getting acquainted with retirement quite nicely. Still very productive but his day is filled with things that won't take a toll on his health."

Lucy opened the oven and looked at the turkey for a moment, having to think about how to pick it up. It barely fit in the oven almost touching the top of it from the inside, she'd have to be careful about getting it out. "How are you doing after this whole transition? Conor had told me you were upset about it at first? I'm glad you've come around to the idea. And if you need help with anything..." Lucy moved into a squat position making sure to grip the sides of the metal sheet the turkey sat on before slowly beginning to lift it out of the oven. "This is sooo heavy!" She exclaimed and without noticing, her right arm started to give out. Before she knew it, the turkey tipped forward and sent grease that sat at the bottom of the pan splashing onto her dress. "FUCK!" Lucy hissed, feeling the burning hot oil seeping through the thin fabric of her apron. Having to press her chest again the turkey to keep it stable, Lucy stumbled to place it onto the counter quickly before cursing some more under her breath.

Soon she was laughing at herself while moving to take off her apron to see the damage the grease had done to her dress. "I just bought this."She grumbled. "I hope my skin isn't too burn." She murmured through her teeth. Looking to Ali, she smiled obviously in pain but wanted to make light of the situation. "Think brown grease is my color? I think it really pulls the whole outfit together?" She chuckled sarcastically.
with: Ali Melanin-Gxdess

Things and Stuff

Sinead quickly nodded her head when Peter said their news should be a happy moment. "Yes. Yes, it is. It's the happiest moment. I'm so happy," she said. Despite her words, she continued to cry and looked down to her lap. Her gaze landed on her hand as Peter took it to give a gentle squeeze. "I should have told you sooner. Much sooner, but there was never a right time. There never is a right time to tell someone..." She stopped as she gasped, having forgotten to breathe between her sobs. She took a couple of deep breaths to control herself before looking to Peter. "We should have already had another baby - another child. A little girl."

Sinead covered her eyes with her free hand before forcing herself to move it away and look her husband in the eyes as she told him the truth. "It was four years ago. When you went sent to prison, I was sick again, with worry and anxiety, y'know? But it turned out I was actually pregnant. So, I planned to surprise you with the good news when I'd had the 12-week scan. I was going to take the photograph in for you to keep with you. A few days before I was going to see you, I..." Sinead paused again, sniffling as she slowly shook her head. She looked into her husband's eyes as her bottom lip trembled. "I lost the baby before I could tell you the news. We would have had another daughter, but I lost her. I blamed myself for it. I couldn't protect our baby. Maybe if I'd taken care of myself and eaten properly, she would have survived. I was too upset and ashamed to tell anyone." Sinead's hand shook as she held onto Peter's. "Whenever I visited you after that, I was going to tell you, but you were suffering enough. I couldn't break your heart when you were in that awful place trying to get through each day in there. After that, there was never a time... I didn't want to upset you," she cried. "Because I lost our baby." The redhead wiped away her tears and looked to her husband, hoping he could forgive her for what had happened. She placed her free hand over her belly and shook her head. She'd already made a deal with herself that she wouldn't get stressed this time, that she would eat properly and relax more.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Roxie chuckled as Syd said he still had to fix his hair, "To be fair, your hair always ends up being this way cuz you can't keep your hands out of it." She teased before he combed it. Once he stopped, he leaned in to give her another kiss to which she accepted it . "I love you too." She murmured gently. He moved to leave the room but not without giving her a second glance, a smile formed on her face, "Oh stop it." She giggled and watched him leave the room for a moment. Standing in the room by herself, Roxie looked around her for a second before deciding to see if Syd needed any help with getting ready. Slowly but surely she made her way up the stairs, running into Thomas as he was just coming down. "What are you doing, kid? Causing trouble like always?" Thomas gave her a very boyish mischievous grin. "Don't tell mom." He said to which Roxie stopped at the top of the stairs, pretending to zip her lips with a smile. Thomas chuckled and hurried back down the stairs and Roxie walked down the hall, stopping short of walking into Syd's room.

At first she was confused by who he was talking to, wondering if someone else was in the room with him. But the name 'Skye' came up and Roxie found herself listening intently. It broke her heart hearing him talk to her...especially with things becoming so serious between them but she listened on and it surprised her to hear that he felt happy again. Roxie moved a hand to her mouth to keep herself quiet, placing a hand on her belly as the babies began to grow restless inside of her. The last 20 days she had been endlessly fighting with herself, telling herself that she had to give Syd the time to let his late wife go. She'd been so patient with him and yet day by day she had begun to lose herself to her imaginative thoughts which accused her of not being enough for him. They had told each other "I love you" and yet she was still doubting herself and him after all this time.

Although she already knew he loved her, hearing him say it to Skye was a big deal. A small gasp escaped her, causing her to push her hand even further against her mouth. The way he talked about her...the way he said she was everything he wanted in a partner, it left her breathless. Growing up in a loveless family, she couldn't remember a time when someone talked about her with so much admiration for her. Pressing her back against the wall next to his open door, Roxie's eyes squeezed shut as tears filled them and spilled down her cheeks. This feeling, she couldn't ever replicate it even if she wanted to. To be loved...to have someone say such kind things about her, Roxie couldn't even explain to herself what that did to her.

He was happy again, because of her. She made someone happy. Having spent her whole life trying to make her parents happy, her friends happy, her clients happy...none of it compared to the way she felt making Syd happy. Having watched him tear himself down, almost taking his own life because of the void he felt...she felt overwhelmingly honored that she was the one to put a smile back on his face. She couldn't mess it up, she couldn't be the one to let him down and in that moment she vowed she never would.

She'd spent the last 20 days feeling increasingly conflicted about how she felt about her father's death and where she stood with Syd. The feelings he brought to her were nothing she'd experienced before in her life. The room was silent for a moment before Roxie wiped at her eyes and stepped into view. A sniffle escaped her as she stared at Syd a moment, her lip trembling. Her stomach was filled with 'butterflies' but after a moment she realized it was just the girls quickening around in her belly. Roxie looked down at her stomach, rubbing a hand over it before beckoning Syd forward. "You know at this stage, they can recognize our voices. I've been talking to them nonstop for the last 20 days trying to get them to kick." She shook her head, holding out her hand to take his and placed it on her stomach. "They're showing off for you. They love you. As do I." She whispered gently as she placed her hand over his, feeling the twins pressing their tiny feet against it.

After a moment, Roxie moved to kiss his lips before sighing, "I've had a lot of time to think about us...and our beginning and our future. I think back to only months ago, when we barely knew each other. I hate to admit when I'm wrong...you know that well enough by now, but this, these girls...I'm so glad I didn't terminate the pregnancy. Even through all of these life changing obstacles we've faced, I wouldn't change the way I met you. My whole life, I was looking for an escape, a way out of my so called 'family.' I never would have thought that the way out was to start a family of my own. "

Taking Syd's hands, Roxie lifted them to her lips for a moment before lowering them to hang between the pair. "I tried so hard to make my parents happy, to be loved...but I realize now that I shouldn't have had to try so hard because with you...it's as easy as breathing. This is the first time I've ever celebrated Thanksgiving but I think I'm starting to understand what it's all about and I just want to say: I'm thankful for you being the father of our babies, for your family taking me in without a second thought. I will spend the rest of my life making you happy, because god, I would give anything to see you smile at me every single day. We love you, so much." Roxie couldn't say anymore as her lip started to tremble uncontrollably, swallowing harshly, she let out a small laugh. "I'm just a mess right now." She said as a sob escaped her.
with: Syd Pyroclast

Senior Member

It was cold. Deathly cold. Summer and it's tendrils lingering into September and October were now just distant dreams. The collar of his thick jacket was turned up, shielding his neck from the bite of the wind and rain, as well as shielding his face from view. The elements were the least of everyone's worries now. War had come to New York, it was no longer fought in the shadows, scrapping over excess territory and businesses, it was a fight to the death, two titans slogging it out, and the mere mortals who made the whole falling by the wayside as the Gangs continued to fight on. What had started as little more than a skirmish had erupted into something far greater, and the death toll was not only rising, but containing far more familiar names. Even the Porter family themselves, the unassailable patricians had felt losses in recent weeks. James himself had almost been killed in an attack that had hit the front pages. The once familiar and safe streets of New York had taken assumed a far darker side to them. Part of the reason why they'd taken a cab, his car wasn't the most conspicuous, and it was a regular visitor to the Porter residences and businesses, easy enough to track. Whilst he had happily accepted the invitation to the Porter Thanksgiving, he wasn't taking any chances. Especially given his plus one. He gently squeezed the arm looped through his own, meeting the brown depth's of Rachel's eyes with his own. With the madness of the violence and the increasing role he was taking on with the torch being passed from James to Conor (and the mountain of accounting and paperwork that came with it) Rachel was very much the proverbial light in the darkness, a source of laughter and a soothing presence against the backdrop of chaos. When Conor had invited him to the festivities it was pretty obvious to the pair of them who his plus one was going to be, and so it wasn't exactly a coincidence that Rachel had the night off.

"Glad you were able to come tonight, I'm terrible at these sort of things, half terrified of sticking my foot in my mouth and causing a scene. Last time I went to a party here I ended up getting a death threat or two as a result. So how about you keep me out of trouble and I make sure that Conor keeps the whitty remarks to a minimum? Between the two of us I think we'll come out of this pretty well,"

He grinned, laughter and smile lines appearing(both of which were becoming far more engrained along his eyes and forehead whilst they had been seeing eachother), and something of a sparkle appearing in his eyes as they approached the Porter residence. The lights appearing warm and inviting on this cold and dark evening.

Add alcohol and stir!

The way that Jason spent his days since Gwen had got home from the hospital hadn’t changed; with nothing else to do besides attend a few auditions, Jason spent as much time as he deemed appropriate at the Porter residence spending time with Lorelei and Gwen. It was still hard to watch his girlfriend’s health deteriorate from the withdrawal, but he was immensely proud of her for staying clean since her overdose. At least this time he didn’t feel so helpless, as he was able to be there for her while she suffered through it and also trusted her not to lie to him again. Their relationship had become a lot more open and trusting in the last few weeks, and Jason was finally beginning to feel like he had made a family for himself.

That was to be tested today, however, as he had been invited to spend Thanksgiving with Gwen and the rest of her large family. He had got used to being in their company, but hadn’t made himself much more than a friendly acquaintance to them. Thanksgiving was also a holiday that Jason had never celebrated before. It was coming up to a year since he had moved to New York and he wasn’t used to all the American traditions and culture yet. The last time he had found himself seated at an extravagant feast was when he had conned his way into the world of upper class art dealers when he was 17 years old; he had been out of his element then, but it had only taken seconds for him to get used to the taste of luxury. Since his crimes had caught up to him and landed him in prison for four years, however, he had readjusted back into poverty and spent the next 17 years slowly crawling out of it. Now, finding himself in the company of the extremely wealthy Irish Mob every day, Jason had become aware of the differences between their lifestyles. His apartment in New York City was by far the nicest place he had ever lived, but it was still very modest and he could barely afford the rent even now. It was safe to say that Jason felt a slight pressure to fit in with her family - he just hoped that attending one of their parties would help him get there.

Having ridden through a downpour, Jason kept his motorcycle gear on right until he got through the door, not wanting to ruin the suit that he was wearing underneath. Gwen was standing at the bottom of the stairs and he started smiling at her before he had even taken his helmet off. “Christ, it’s lashin’ out there!” he said, laughing as he finally unveiled a shock of wild blonde hair. Once he’d stomped the rain out of his shoes and hung up his sopping leather jacket, Jason stepped forward to kiss her. “Well, amn’t I a lucky man?” He placed his hands on her waist and stepped back to take in her appearance. “And how am I meant to keep my hands off ye when you’re here lookin’ hotter than hell?” Sliding his hands around her waist, he drew her in close and kissed her neck. As much as the dinner invitation had given him to think about, nothing had been on his mind that day as much as Gwen. With no attachments to the holiday itself and few attachments to the family, the party and the feast were all secondary to him. It was Gwen's company that he was really after.

The All-Powerful Enzyme!

Jackson scratched the back of his thumb against the stubble in his bottom lip, a few more gray hairs there than he remembered. His lips clutched the glass of whiskey before he tipped back the remaining liquid until he could feel the burning sensation down the length of his throat like the slow expanse of a wildfire. He grumbled to himself, setting the now empty glass down on the table. "For all we know, the Morettis' could've already reached out to any of the neighboring families. I ain't been here long, but boy have I done ma' research." Jackson's eyes slid to the office window, New York's skyline looming behind the tall Porters' hedges. "If any of them have already shaken hands with Gabriel, then that's that, but the devil you know is far better than the devil you don't." Jackson emphasized his point with the dabbing of his cigar, before clenching it back between his teeth.

After a lapse in their discussion, Jackson moved for the glass bottle on the table. He refilled Conor's glass at the head, before trailing to James's on the circular table beside him. He then finished off his own tumbler, filling his a bit higher above the line. Perhaps it was for the holiday, any excuse to kick off the festivities. "Let's bring our best players forward, right? They should get the face of the Porters. Me, you, Peter if Sinead will bless it." Jackson's eyes trailed to James, pointing to him with a finger off the tumbler. "As nice as it would be to have you there, mate, you'd have to be off your fuckin' nutta' to even leave the property," Jackson tsked. He looked back to Conor, tilting his head as he pondered the list. "Maybe Adam as well, he'd be a good extra bit of muscle, I reckon," Jackson nodded, satisfied with those names.

"Right, are we good then?" Jackson asked, looking to the two men in the room. "Can't we celebrate Thanksgivin' like some propa' Yanks?" Jackson slapped his hand down on James's knee, a wild smile appearing on his face. "I don't know about you lot, but a gut full of turkey and spiced rum sounds healthy right about now." Jackson smashed the cigar into the ashtray in front of him, before springing up off the chair.

"They've done enough, they don't deserve our holiday," Jackson added, rubbing the scruff that had begun to take over the lower half of his face. "I already got a little surprise for you lot, but that's gonna have to wait until after dinner," Jackson chuckled. He motioned for his friends to follow them out of the office. As his hand connected with the door handle, he stopped in his tracks. After a brief pause, he turned on his heels to Conor. "Sorry, Mr. Sullivan, may we be excused?" He asked, a provoking smile creeping up his lips.

Add alcohol and stir!

The unfortunate outcomes of the Morettis’ plans had been crushing, but hadn’t demoralised them. In fact, it only highlighted how much work they had to do and propelled the gang into further meetings to discuss what moves they were to make next. Tatiana had done her best to be consistent in her efforts to help the cause. She didn’t believe that she had any business being sensitive when it came to her job - it would only make everyone else’s job harder. As her relationship with Gabriel extended beyond the business and into her home life, so did her efforts. Nothing so big as the news of James Porter’s escape or Stefano’s death could be entirely left at the door, and so she got to see the effects they were having on her father.

In her other family members, however, Tatiana found a well-needed escape. Although they were all involved in the business in their own way, it didn’t often tend to dominate the conversation unless Gabriel was present. Their new dog kept them occupied at home, too, giving them enough else to focus on and never failing to brighten the atmosphere. But even on a national holiday, business couldn’t hold off. After spending lunch with the family, Tatiana accompanied Gabriel to his office in Manhattan, ready to begin their meeting with Teddy and Rhys.

While they waited for their arrival, the two poured themselves each a glass of brandy. Tatiana tilted her head when her father spoke. She knew there was more to his question than he had asked and that she would have to prompt him to expand on it, but it seemed to have come completely out of the blue. Miami held many significant memories for Tatiana and after spending so many years of her life there it had come to feel like part of her identity. It had been there where she had discovered and explored her sexuality, where she had fallen in love for the first time, where she had become a woman. She had ticked off a lot of firsts. After they left for New York she had had to leave many friends behind and now, when she closed her eyes, she could still walk down the streets, remember exactly where the beach curved and the faces of everyone serving at her favourite bars. She remembered it all like it was yesterday and she missed it deeply. “You know I do, papa,” she answered, rolling her glass between her fingertips before taking a sip. “What is it you're really asking?”

Queen of Melanin

It would seem Lucy was also almost at her wits end with the children too. It was like once they all got around each other, they became a pack of wild animals. All their home training went right out the window. While she couldn't fault them for having fun, she could for forgetting the rules that were set in place. After the monsters had left the kitchen, Ali moved to put the finishing touches on some of the food; cleaning around the plate edges and adding garnishes. Presentation was always important, she thought to herself, even if they were just feeding their family. Listening to Lucy fill her in on James, Ali made herself busy by making tea for the kids. Nine times out of ten, the adults were going to enjoy a stronger beverage and for those who couldn't participate it was nice to have an alternative.

The topic was changed to how she was handling the transition. She was glad Lucy had brought it up first, Aliana not really knowing what to say or even how to bring it up. The decision to take over had definitely solidified their lives in the crime world and it was something she wasn't necessarily prepared for. Having Lucy there to help her get through it was a loud off and she appreciated her help immensely. With a nervous scratch of her head, a chuckle followed. So, Conor had told her everything everything about her reaction, which means she couldn't even pretend she was okay with it right away. "I mean... Yeah, it was rough. We were planning on having a second kid and possibly trying to get out of this life, you know? I guess when he told me I was just... Overwhelmed." After she tasted the tea, making sure it was sweet enough, she put the container in the refrigerator to chill. While she was doing this, Lucy was taking out the turkey and as soon as she expressed how heavy it was, she knew something bad was about to happen.

Ali hadn't reacting fast enough once the turkey started tipping. Instead, she let out an audible gasp before rushing to her sister-in-law's side in aid. Once the turkey was safely on the counter, she gave her the once over. Even though she was smiling through the pain it was obvious she needed to get checked out, but she obliged her. "It's a nice color, smell too. Thanksgiving Eau de Parfum." She joked, but turned serious once more. "You want help getting that checked and then changing?" She asked, handing her another towel.​

Queen of Melanin

If Teddy were to be completely honest, he was glad the attempt on Porter wasn't successful, but he was also pissed. Pissed that they failed and pissed that his boss didn't listen to him. It was all too fast, he thought, and those who were placed to get the job done were sloppy and too cocky. The wrong Porter was killed, Maddox was now missing, Roxie had been saved and Alistair killed. It seemed like the Moretti's were losing more than they were gaining. Teddy knew how pissed Gabe was the past few weeks so he knew better than to even say or mention it so he kept it to himself. It was a surprise to him when he was told to attend a meeting with his boss, after him not wanting anything to do with him recently. It was understandable, he was still upset but he had people in his corner defending him, talking him up and that much wasn't going to go unnoticed.

Before he went up to his bosses office, he stopped by Elvian's to get some inside information. The older woman hadn't been cooking the big meals he was used to, but rather a smaller Romanian dinner. When he asked what she thought about Thanksgiving, she scrunched her face up. "We don't do Thanksgiving here, you know that. We celebrate Roadelor. Americans have such weird reasons for holidays. A mass genocide should hardly count, but nonetheless." Teddy knew how she felt about it, it was one of the first things she told him when they first met but it was an easy way to break the ice before he asked what he wanted. Watching as she worked on the stuff cabbage he remembered her calling "sarmale" before she opened her mouth. "He's furious, you know. He's not a religious man so I have no reason to even think he would come to the church with me anyway, but this morning there wasn't even the banter for it. That's why you came by, isn't it?" Teddy softly nodded his head, putting his hands in his pockets. If he were being honest, he was nervous. More so than he had even been in his entire life. He knew he needed to calm his nerves before he went and saw his boss but he just couldn't see how that was possible. Since Valentina's visit, he felt more confident in his own plan to get back into his good gracious if he were asked but even still who knew if he would truly like it? With Elvian's words of wisdom and pep-talk he felt ready to take on her husband. "If he takes you back then you learn from this experience. But if he doesn't, Teddy." She took a deep sigh as she put the now stuffed cabbages in the oven. "Then, you know what happens."

That last sentence of hers was burning in his brain as he made his way to the office, about 10 minutes early in fact. He was doing everything perfect to make sure he didn't piss him off any further. Knowing that he'd be sitting down with Rhys also made him nervous, not being a fan of the man ever since his betrayal was made known to the group. He couldn't deny that the man was right, he should've just died with that information. But with Teddy's death, who knows what that would have done to the family? Maybe Gabe would've reacted faster than he had and gotten even more people killed. He no longer regretted being alive and giving out that information. He just couldn't get over how much his death would've been preferred. Walking into the office, he saw Tatiana sitting in a seat and and her father in his. "You all go to church with El this morning?"​

Add alcohol and stir!

A small sniffle at the door broke Syd's connection with Skye and made him spin around in alarm. Roxie was standing there, watching him with tears in her eyes. His cheeks flushed as if he had been caught red-handed, not knowing how much she had heard. It seemed like a sore topic not just for him, but for Roxie, too, so he had always felt some guilt whenever Skye came up in conversation and tried to keep it from happening as much as he could. Still, despite his unease at being overheard, Syd approached her when she beckoned him over and encouraged him to place a hand on her stomach. The gentle knocks that he felt against his hand instantly put a smile on his face, which only deepened when she told him that they all loved him. “Wow,” he whispered, stroking his palms across her belly to connect with his daughters.

His hands slid to her hips when she moved in to kiss him. Her mention of the abortion she had initially wanted took him by surprise. So obsessed with the reality of having a baby - discovered later on to be two babies - he had forgotten that his future had almost looked very different. It wasn’t even worth imagining, now. Syd’s face settled into a tender smile as he listened to Roxie express her feelings towards him and her realisation of what family truly meant to her now. “That’s okay, you can be a mess,” he softly chuckled, drawing her into an embrace and swaying with her while she cried. “You’re a part of this family, now, whether you like it or not!” he teased. “We’re all really happy to have you with us, Roxie. Your parents must have been not right in the head, because loving you is the easiest thing in the world.”

Syd held her for a while, tangling his fingers in her soft hair and turning his head into hers. His train of thought followed the same tracks as hers, back through their relationship from the very beginning. With everything they had faced, it seemed remarkable that they had got to this point. “Knowing what we have now, I wouldn’t change any of it either,” he said. “Except, I guess...for the way I’ve treated you.” Syd pulled back to look her in the eyes and stroked away the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. “I know I can be a lot at times. You’ve put up with a lot from me since the first day we met, which I don’t really...I don’t think I’ll ever understand why. These girls, Roxie - you mean the world to me, all three of you, but I know the reason why you’re having them is because I didn’t respect your opinion when - when you told me you didn't want -" The words themselves were difficult to say, but especially after Roxie had just reminded him that the babies could hear his voice. In the end, he skipped over them. "I’m glad you don’t regret it now, but still...I’m sorry to have put that pressure on you. It was selfish of me.” Syd sighed and took both of her hands into his. “I just want you to know that I think you're amazing, and I swear I’ll always respect your opinion from now on. I love you, Roxie.” With a smile, he leant down to her belly and kissed it. “And I love you, too.”

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Peter was confused, wondering what she was trying to tell him, all of the negative assumptions sitting at the forefront of his mind. Staring almost stoically at her, his face soften when she finally did tell him. Not expecting to hear what she was saying to him then, but he held his urge to sigh with relief. She went on to say that they were suppose to have their daughter four years ago when he went to prison. Sinead paused as she said she was coming to see him and Peter obviously already knew what happened because they didn't have a little 4 year old in their home.

Shaking his head, Peter wrapped his arms around his wife tightly, pulling her close to his chest. "Sinny, you could have told me, love. You shouldn't have had to go through that all by yourself." He murmured into her hair, kissing the top of her head softly. The news was upsetting to him, but he was more worried about her now for it to faze him much. "This isn't your fault, sin. Please do not blame yourself for that." He said moving a hand up to stroke her hair gently. With a slow sigh, Peter then pulled away slightly to look his wife in the eyes. "Things like this happen, there isn't a reason for it, but they do. I wish you would have told me but that's all in the past."

Taking her hands in his, Peter squeezed them lightly, "I mean look where we are now, I'm out of prison and we have another little one on the way. I will do absolutely everything in my power to make this as easy for you as possible, okay? We are a team, remember? We've got to work together...I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you the last time...but I'm here now." With that, he leaned in a kissed her nose gently before removing his hands from hers, wiping gently at her tears.

"We are going to have a great time tonight and hey! We get to surprise everyone else! It'll be amazing. I'm so proud of everything you've overcome Sin, you've worked so hard. Give yourself a break, okay?"
with: Sinny Misty Gray

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Gwen had found herself staring directly at the door for who knows how long, Finn and Georgie had passed through it and she said a brief hello before returning to her staring. Though the rain was heavy outside, she could hear the familiar roar of Jason's motorcycle outside of the house and she immediately bounced to her feet like an excited child. He stepped through the door in full gear and Gwen immediately smiled at him. "You know I could have sent a car to get you, you looked soaked." She murmured as she stepped closer to him. He kissed her sweetly and Gwen hummed against his lips. Placing his hands on her hips, he took a step back to look at her and she did the same to him. Giving a cool laugh, Gwen shrugged her shoulders, "Guess you'll have to be on your extra best behavior tonight then?" She said with a wide smile, slightly shaking her hips for him before getting a rather frivolous idea in her head.

Looking around, everyone was either in the kitchen or the lounge, so no one stood in the entryway with them at the moment. Raising an eyebrow towards Jason, Gwen leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Race you upstairs." She said before wildly kicking her heels off her feet and running up the stairs. Once she was inside her room, she waited till Jason was inside before she commanded him to shut the door. There was a slight chance that this whole thing could backfire but Gwen had been caught in such acts before...and there was a strong possibility that they could be caught given there was no lock on the door.

"Come here," She murmured hotly before wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in to kiss him passionately. After a few moments, she pulled away to smile breathlessly at him. "Gotta be quick like we were in the dressing room, think you can manage?" She teased lightly, turning him before pushing him forcefully down on the bed. "Where did you get the suit? It's driving me absolutely crazy!" She purred. "I've missed you."
with: Jason Pyroclast

Things and Stuff

It had been quite disappointing when not only James survived the events three weeks ago, but so did Syd and Maddox. In return, East Harlem and the Morettis took a hit as Stefano was killed instead. The only positive thing Ethan took from that day was that Warren had at least died. Having had an altercation with both Keegan and Warren when the two men stepped in to help Savannah against himself and Steve, Ethan was pleased both of them were now out of the picture. More to add to the gradually growing list of dead Sullivans and Porters.

Today was Thanksgiving and as was usually the case, Ethan and Alistair got together for the holiday. Ethan's mother was thankfully out of the state celebrating the holidays with rest of their family. The man had declined the invitation, as always, finding the very thought of spending time around his family as the worst possible torture. Not only that, but his sister was hosting the meal and she was a vegetarian. The idea of eating a meat-free Thanksgiving dinner offended the butcher. So, as he prepared the meal for himself and Alistair, Ethan was thoroughly pleased with the aromas of turkey, pork and beef roasting in the oven. Although it was well within his comfort zone to cook a hearty meal, Ethan didn't refuse Alistair's assistance with the preparation. They tended to work well as a team, so it wasn't a surprise that it extended into the kitchen.

As the music played, Ethan listened to it, once again conscious of how the classical pieces were growing on him. Perhaps if he were inclined to buy some classical records, such music would serve as a fitting contrast to his rock vinyls he had in his collection. Such thoughts came to an abrupt end as the timer ended and sounded a bell to alert them to dinner being ready to serve.

As Ethan cut a thick slice of beef from the joint of meat, Alistair thanked him, prompting a nod from the man. "Only the finest cuts from my shop," he assured him, flashing a grin. He then turned his attention to slicing into the turkey as Alistair poured him a glass of wine. "Much appreciated," he gratefully told the East Harlem boss.

Ethan knew his life could have been much different to what it had become. He was still a criminal when he was with Rose, but she seemed to take away his brutal nature, removing the urges he'd always had to kill and torture others. When he was with Rose, he got by committing acts of fraud and intimidation, along with taking from the Sullivans at every opportunity. When hie wife was killed, she took any chance of Ethan having a heart and soul with her. He was reduced back to the cold and malevolent man who in all honestly, enjoyed watching his enemies and their kin suffer. By now, he wasn't even sure if he missed Rose. He'd long since stopped imagining her beautiful features or the nights they'd shared together. She'd become more of an idea or a matter of principle. That principle barely existing any longer, since he'd murdered Rose's killer, Arlene. Everything now was about business and war. The Irish Mob were his rivals and enemies. That was enough to maintain his strong opposition towards them.

When Alistair asked him what he was thankful for, Ethan couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle at the man's question. He wasn't laughing at him, but he was surprised by the question. "Well, I'm definitely thankful I got to slit Arlene Sullivan's throat. That was certainly a gift," he told him, as if showing gratitude for something as normal as getting a new car. "And despite that appalling mess three weeks ago, I'm thankful that we've managed to screw the Porters over on some of those drugs suppliers. With tighter discipline, I have high expectations for our fight against the irish scum." Ethan took a sip of his wine before nodding to Alistair. "How about you? What are you feeling thankful for?"

Add alcohol and stir!

The way that Gwen told him he would have to be on his best behaviour only made her more irresistible. Jason bit down on his lip at her teasing remark, unable to ignore her swaying hips. Being on his best behaviour suddenly sounded like the worst thing in the world; as much as he cared about getting to know her family, he couldn’t help but wish the two of them could just be alone. A spark flew between them when he caught the look in her eye. He had seen it many times before - she loved the thrill of it as much as he did.

As soon as she had kicked off her heels, Jason chased her up the stairs and into her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. Their hungry eyes latched onto each other and for a moment all that could be heard was their heavy breathing - until faint voices from downstairs filtered through the silence. A smirk broke across Jason’s face. They were always testing the limits like this - it added an element of danger that made the whole experience that extra bit thrilling.

He soon found himself locked in a passionate kiss and returned it with equal intensity. She drew away but he immediately leaned into her, caught by her magnetic pull. “Mm, somehow I don’t think I’ll struggle,” he grinned, his mind cast back to the fun they would get up to backstage at Broadway Theatre. He laughed when she shoved him down onto the bed. When he sprang back up, he reached to pull her down on top of him, going in for another kiss as his hands ran through her hair and down her body. Gwen continued to tease him with conversation, but even though her compliment made him smile, his desire for her was so strong and so urgent that he couldn’t even think to answer. “Fuck the suit, it’s comin’ off,” he uttered breathlessly, in the deep voice he used when he knew there was a chance of being overheard. Fired up on adrenaline and desire, it only took him seconds to undress before he threw himself around her - and he might as well have made no attempt to lower his voice at all, because the sound of the headboard knocking against the wall was something he just couldn’t help.

Things and Stuff

Conor watched as Jackson filled his glass with whiskey, deciding once the meeting was done he'd loosen up and allow himself some drinks. Although it was his own conscious decision not to start drinking yet, he was also pretty aware of both James and Jackson sitting in the same room as him. He felt like he needed to showcase the self-control he'd developed in order to ease any concerns they might have about him running the business. "Ah, hopefully Tink will ease off a bit. I'm keen to get Pete out there with us."

James couldn't help but smirk when Jackson pointed out he should sit the job out and remain safe on the property. After the number of times he'd put his family on a lockdown for their own protection, it felt like karma had come back to haunt him. "I guess I'll have to see how long I can occupy myself in that garage before I attempt to break out of here," he remarked. Still he, sent his old friend a smile, showing he understood completely, as frustrating as it was proving for him.

"I'm on board with Adam joining us as well. He and Pete get along pretty well, after they met during their last prison stints," he explained. "Not the most warm and friendly bloke, but he seems committed to the business and comes across as pretty focused."

When the atmosphere took a change and food was mentioned, Conor perked up and dropped his pen into the stationery pot. "A fucking feast. Now you're speaking my language," he enthused, feeling excited by the thought of a big meal. "Yeah. To hell with those wankers. Let's have a top night," he agreed. He raised a curious eyebrow at the mention of a surprise. "I can't wait," he replied, not sure if he could begin to imagine what his friend had in store.

James stood up and sent Conor a nod before walking with Jackson to the door. He couldn't help but laugh at Jackson's request for permission to leave. "Ah, good luck with that. Conor's a real slave driver. What kind of psychopath holds meeting on Thanksgiving?" he teased.

"You are both excused. And it's Mr. Slave Driver to you fellas," Conor teased.

When they were both out of the office, James patted Jackson on the arm before motioning towards the stairs. "I need to get myself cleaned up and changed," he told him, regarding his scruffy jumper and the dirt on him from being out fixing cars all afternoon. "Luce will have my balls if I turn up to dinner looking like this. She's already made poor Thomas wear a shirt and tie!" he said, pulling a humoured cringing face. "I'll let you catch up with Blake. Hopefully Natasha's settling in. I asked Olivia to help her out as I know the other kids can be a bit too lively."

This Thanksgiving was going to be quite different to what Rachel was used to. Although she'd worked for the Sullivans back when Liam was running things, she certainly couldn't say she'd celebrated any of the holidays with the Irish family. With her cousin no longer living with her, Rachel had mostly expected to spend the day on her own or at least serving a bunch of drunk old men who had nowhere better to be than the pub. Instead, she was heading to the Porters' mansion with Mitch by her side. Had someone told her some months back that she'd be in a relationship with a lawyer, she'd have called them crazy. But it turned out there were some decent men in the profession and her relationship with Mitch was getting more serious by the day. When he invited her to join him for Thanksgiving, she didn't have to think twice before accepting. Although she had the luxury of not working so directly on mob business, Rachel knew her position at he pub was open to some danger, but she'd managed to push such thoughts aside and find comfort in her time with Mitch.

"I'm glad you invited me," she told Mitch, sending him a smile as they sat in the back of the cab. "I like to think, or hope, if I were going to put my foot in my mouth I would have done it by now," she commented. She raised a curious eyebrow at mention of the lawyer receiving death threats when he was last at one of the Porters' parties. "Death threats? Who on Earth did that? I bet you were up to no good. Don't you worry, I'll keep you out of trouble, otherwise you'll end up on a time out with the kids." She grinned when he offered to keep Conor's witty comments to a minimum. "I'm going to hold you to that," she said, playfully nudging him. "He's been my boss at the pub for some time, so I'm used to that. Let's see how you cope with him as your boss now," she playfully warned him.

Once they arrived at the residence, they got out of the cab, prompting Rachel to put up her umbrella as they walked through the rain to the front door. When they got inside, Rachel carefully placed the umbrella next to the others by the door. She turned around and looked to Mitch, about to speak when they were interrupted by Conor. "Evening, you two," Conor cheerfully greeted them. He then pointed to Rachel and tilted his head. "Who the Hell let you out of the pub?" he teased. He then reached out to shake Mitch's hand, flashing a smile as he thought of how good it was seeing the couple together. He wondered how weird it must have felt for the lawyer to have been helping get him out of jail one minute and looking to him as the boss of the mob the next. "Glad you could both make it. You watch out for this one, Mitch. She's not normally allowed out from behind the bar. Troublemaker..." he joked.

Rachel looked to Mitch with a knowing look in her eyes, playfully reminding him of his plan to keep Conor's witty comments to a minimum. "Don't you worry, Conor. I left Larry in charge of the pub. There's a 50/50 chance it'll still be standing by the end of the night," she sarcastically assured him.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

With the turkey safely on the table, Lucy huffed and nodded her head at Ali's question. "Yea I think it's more than just a small burn." She fretted, fanning her where the grease was laying before shaking her head, "Didn't realize how big that sucker really was being stuffed and all." She joked. "Let's go to the downstairs restroom, there's a medical kit in there." Walking with Ali into the downstairs bathroom, Lucy reached into the cabinets below the sink, grabbing what she needed before closing it. Opening the kit on the counter, she grabbed the burn supplies. Pausing, Lucy heard an odd knocking sound, looking to Ali, she looked confused. Almost everyone just walked through the front door without knocking. Were they expecting someone new? "Do you hear that or did some of that hot grease get into my ear somehow?"Melanin-Gxdess
......Roxie wasn't expecting an apology from Syd but when he did, she found herself shaking her head. He promised to respect her opinions which only made her heart grow fonder. Stroking his hair as he kissed her belly, she moved her hands to his collar to gently pull him back up to her level. "Well I hope you're ready, I'm well known for having my opinions." She said with a smirk on her lips, her eyes finally starting to dry. "No more making me cry tonight okay? I swear I think I'll cry more than you at this point," She said teasingly, pinching his arm lightly before giving him another kiss. As she was pulling away, a door slammed shut down the hall causing her to jump slightly. Looking to Syd questioningly, she wondered briefly if someone was upset. "Who was that?" She wondered out loud before taking Syd's hand and leading him out into the hallway. Being nosey, Roxie listened closely for any movement in the rooms and clear as day a it sounded like someone was knocking on the wall. Roxie's brows furrowed in confusion for a slight moment before she covered her mouth and turned towards Syd, giggling. "Someone is definitely having good time, at your family dinner party." She laughed, distracted and almost embarrassed, Roxie didn't notice Lorelei silently bound up the steps towards the first door. Only when the door opened and the knocking sound was more noticeable did Roxie turn and see a little girl standing in the doorway. Pyroclast
.....

Gwen was very much enjoy the treatment she was getting from the man in her bed but being a mother and also acknowledging that there was no lock on her door, Gwen knew the sound of the knob turning all too well. As the door started to open Gwen rolled herself and Jason towards the end on the other side of the bed, rolling until they were tangled in a mess of sheets and blankets. "Mommy?" Lorelei asked, peering into the darkening room. Gwen turned to look at Jason with wide eyes, her heart accelerating so much that it was hard to speak. Y-yes?" Gwen stuttered and before Lorelei could say much, she was distracted by Roxie, "Oh honey, maybe we should stay out of-" Roxie saw two heads poking up in the bedroom, the blankets and sheets gone on the bed and two people sat behind it. "Oh god. Gwen...ah, Lorelei...let's go downstairs and see if Aunt Lucy needs help with dinner hmm?" Roxie pulled a apologetic look before shutting the door behind her. Once the door was shut, Roxie couldn't keep her composure any longer and broke down into a fit of laughter. "That was your Aunt!" Roxie told Syd as she held Lorelei's shoulders, "You gotta learn to knock on the door, sweetheart. Always knock." Lorelei smiled bashfully, "What were they doing in there?" She asked nosily and Roxie looked at a loss for words, staring at Syd with wide eyes. "Well dad to be, what the heck do you say to that question?

.....

The door had closed and Gwen fell into Jason, her face hot with embarrassment as she shook her head. "This is why I had a lock on the fucking door. Not only does she have to deal with me being a former drug attack but now she can add trauma from seeing the two of us go at it. I really should win an award for being such a great mother." Gwen laughed at herself for a moment before turning to Jason, "I hope I didn't hurt you, we fell kinda hard."Pyroclast

Add alcohol and stir!

If anyone else had teased Syd about how often he cried it might have angered him - perhaps even going so far as to prove their point - or he would have gone for them like he had Mitchell. But since Roxie had offered her comfort to him enough times, he felt less ashamed about crying around her and therefore she had more liberties to tease him than most. Syd only tutted, and instantly forgot about it when she planted a kiss on his lips. They were interrupted by a slamming door, which made Roxie jump. “Probably one of the kids,” he suggested. The only people who tended to slam doors in the house were the children and him, and it wouldn’t have surprised him if the young ones were engaged in some kind of active game. But Roxie was curious, so he let her lead him out into the hallway. It was then that he heard something he wished he hadn’t. Still, he couldn’t help but smirk when Roxie started laughing. “Well, mam doesn’t have to know, yeah?” he murmured, stifling a laugh. “Wanna go downstairs and work out who it is?”

Jason had been so in the moment that he hadn’t noticed the door swing open and was taken by surprise when Gwen hurriedly rolled off the bed with him. Thinking she had just been playing rough, he let out a loud laugh - but when he sat up and saw Lorelei standing in the doorway, his laughter was brought to an abrupt end. Making sure the sheets covered him from the waist down, Jason tried to relax his facial expression so as not to cause any further alarm to the young girl. It was when Roxie appeared behind her that he got embarrassed and raised a hand to hide his face. “We’ll be wit’ you in a minute, Rory,” he calmly assured her, impatient for the door to close.

The second they left, Jason released a heavy sigh and looked to Gwen. He closed his eyes at the sound of Roxie’s laughter on the other side of the door, but he couldn’t help but smirk at what had just happened. “Jesus…” he mumbled, beginning to chuckle as Gwen turned her face into him, no doubt embarrassed. “Ah, sure there’s no trauma in it, Gwen - better an expression of love than hate, don’t ye think?” Thankfully, she began to laugh, too, and turned her focus to the potential injuries she may have given him on the way down. “The only damage I’m after takin’ is to my dignity,” he assured her, letting the sheet fall to the floor as he stood up in search of his clothes. “God knows how I’m meant to look anyone in the eye at dinner, now…” It would have helped, too, if he had actually finished. With this being the first sit-down dinner he had attended at the Porter house, Jason could have done with something to take off the edge - especially as he wouldn’t be drinking. He looked over to Gwen as he fastened his belt, his face bearing a glow of subtle amusement. “Still, for all that was in it I can’t say I’ve not worked up an appetite.”

Syd almost wished they could have gone downstairs before staying long enough to figure out which room it was coming from - the rhythmic knocking of the headboard was threatening to put unwanted images in his mind. But they were left with no choice, as Lorelei soon opened the door to Gwen’s bedroom and the knocking got louder. Syd cringed deeply at hearing his aunt going at it, while Roxie was quick to rush to Lorelei’s rescue. When she returned laughing, Syd kept his hand clamped over his mouth. “God, Roxie, I don’t wanna know,” he said, but couldn’t help the laughter rise out of him, too. Then came the dreaded question. Syd scooped his little cousin off her feet with a playful growl and carried her on his hip as he made his way to the stairs. Of course, Roxie passed him the responsibility of answering. He couldn’t believe he had to think of something on the spot. “Well, it’s kinda like playtime - you know how you play with other kids?” he asked her. “When you get to be a grown-up, there’s a new kind of playtime that’s also really fun. But it’s just for grown-ups. Your mam was just having grown-up playtime. Make sense?” Then he realised it could be a perfect opportunity to cause Gwen and Jason further embarrassment. “And sometimes,” he went on, struggling not to smile. “It can make babies, like the ones in Roxie's tummy. But you can ask your mam about that.”

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Syd placed Lorelei down on the floor, his attention now absorbed by his Uncle Conor and the couple that had just walked through the front door. "Mitchell?" he said, the amusement still lingering in his expression. "I didn't know you were coming. And you brought a plus one, that's nice." Syd extended a hand to the woman. "I'm Syd, and the beautiful woman behind me is my girlfriend, Roxie." He couldn't help flashing his eyes at Mitch. "It's good to meet you. What's your name?"

Things and Stuff

Sinead let out a deep sign of relief when Peter pulled her in close to his him. With her face pressed into his chest, she let out a few sniffles as she tried to contain the remainder of her crying. She closed her eyes as she took some more controlled breaths to regain composure. "I didn't want to make you sad and upset whilst you were stuck in prison. And then it just never seemed to be the right time. When he assured her it wasn't her fault, she slowly nodded her head as she thought on his words. Even though she would never have done anything to harm her baby, she still couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if she'd done just one thing - anything - differently. She started to feel calmer as Peter stroked her hair and when he pulled away, she open her damp eyes to meet his gaze. "Yeah, I know it happens. I just wish it hadn't happened to us, that I could have brought another precious life into our hearts. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, love. I wish I'd felt strong enough to tell you much sooner," she admitted.

Sinead gently stroked the back of Peter's hands with her thumbs as he held her hands in return. She quickly nodded along at his words about his freedom and them having a baby on the way. She managed a fond smile as she dared to imagine. They were a team and they'd become much stronger together over recent weeks. She had no doubts in her mind that they could and would work together to make sure the new life they'd created would be healthy and loved. "I never gave you the chance to be there for me last time. But now we're both here and we're both in this together. I'm so excited and happy and my heart is already making so much more space to love another person. I love the tiny human already," she gushed. She wiped her eyes with her sleevesbefore taking a deep breath to blow away all of the doubts and fears she'd been struggling with.

"I can't wait to surprise everyone. Although... I already told Savvy yesterday. She needed cheering up and I need to share the news before I exploded. She's so happy about getting another brother or sister," she explained.

Reluctantly, Sinead stood up and let go of Peter's hands. "Okay, I suppose we should get ready. Luce will be flapping around the kitchen and won't be happy if there's leftover food," she exaggerated. Sinead set about styling her hair and applying some make-up before finally putting on her knee-length red dress. She looked in the mirror as it clung to her tiny frame. She wasn't showing her pregnancy yet, so she had no doubts most of her family would be surprised by the news when they find out. "I'm so glad I've got an excuse to wear this dress before my belly gets too big for it." she turned to Peter with a playful glint in her eyes. "And these two will be getting big again..." she commented, placing her hands on her chest.

Sinead checked herself over once more before turning to Peter. "I'm ready when you are, Petey." She was sure their kids had been waiting long enough, though she was surprised they were being so patient about it. Maybe they really were all grown up and past squabbling with each other by now.

Senior Member

"Don't you worry yourself about it. Death threats are pretty much par for the course in my profession. And yeah I probably did deserve it, at least a little..."

As Rachel stashed her umbrella to one side, Mitch gently squeezed her shoulder, and planted a kiss on her cheek. Dating the manager of a bar. His dad would be spinning in his office chair if he found out. The old sod would have claimed it was a smear on the family name, marrying down or some nonsense like that. His mother wouldn't have said anything mind you, just a pursing of her lips like she had a particularly sour sweet trapped under her tongue. It was lucky he didn't give a damn about the pair of them anymore. Rachel was funny, friendly and beautiful to boot. To his parents these were just secondary traits. And he was glad he had separated himself from them, and not just physically.

The calm was shattered by the force of personality that was Conor arriving, his infectious grin plastered on his face, clearly revelling in the pair arriving together. Probably fancied himself as some sort of matchmaker. Mitch couldn't help but blush a little at the thought, still a bit of smugness from Conor was a small price to pay really. He patted Conor's shoulder as they shook hands, turning his head slightly and flashing Rachel a wink.

"Not the way I heard it. Word on the street is you were just the figure head and she's the brains behind the whole operation. Besides she's the one keeping me out of trouble these days, always the ones you least suspect,"

The next voice to drift his way however didn't quite foster the same warm memories that Conor did. The last time he'd heard that voice they'd been accompanied by a pair of hands closing round his throat, struggling for breath in that shadowy stairwell. Fury and anger in the eyes that were now alive with amusement. And there was Roxie, the woman who had unwittingly caused the confrontation. Mitch had avoided the pair of them best he could, Syd out of fear, and Roxie out of embarrassment. He didn't know how much she knew, he didn't really want to know to be honest. The recent Maddox revelations had changed things however. How long had Maddox been freely twisting his tendrils into Syd's mind? Mitch struggled to believe that Syd wasn't fully aware of what he had done that day, but they were at the very least mitigating circumstances. A lot had changed since that party. It felt like an entirely different world now. He kept his smile in place, not allowing it to slip. He didn't want Syd to see that there was any lingering fear or anger, cards close to the chest.

"Could hardly pass up an invitation from the boss. Besides Thanksgiving is a time for coming together, and it's not like we're getting a lot of those chances recently, got to make the most of it. This is Rachel,"

He stepped to one side allowing Syd to extend his hand towards Rachel. He hovered close by though. He didn't really expect Syd to do anything, but there was that lingering feeling. Once burned and all that. He looked towards Roxie, offering her a more genuine smile, even if it didn't change much outwardly.

"I heard through the grapevine that congratulations are in order for the pair of you. I had a card somewhere, just need to dig it out of the bombsite that's my office. I'm happy for you though, sure you'll make a great set of parents,"

Queen of Melanin

"I mean, if I'm being honest he turned out to be a grower and not a shower," she joked, covering up the turkey. She didn't want anyone picking at it or anything getting on it, so she took this as a precaution. Following the blonde woman down the stairs and into the bathroom, she started washing her hands to get ready to take care of the burn. Just as they opened up the first aid kit, there was a knocking to which they both looked at each other. There was a slight uneasy feeling in the pit of Aliana's stomach, the feeling growing when Lucy commented on the amount of people who actually knocked on the house door. "Well, I hope no one else is coming. House is full of enough animals, don't you think?" She said before opening the door. There were voices and laughing, which was a better sign than what she was expecting. It helped her relax a little as she was constantly jumping to conclusions these days about what was about to happen. "Looks like you're going to have to make your turkey debut sooner than later." She paused for a second before she snapped her fingers. "Isn't Finn here? I'll go find him so we can make sure we're taking care of that properly and the source of whatever that noise is. We'll finish our conversation when I don't get back." As she walked back up the stairs, she shouted back to her, "Assuming I don't get sidetracked up here!"

Once she reached the main floor again, she started looking around. First she spotted Leo running through the house and quickly grabbed his shoulder, catching him off guard. "Hey, gremlin, what was all that thumping noise?" For a moment, Leo was still in play mode and it hadn't occurred to him that his mom was asking him a serious question. He just stared at her blankly, blinking before asking her what she was talking about. Once she repeated herself, he seemed to come back to reality and respond. "Oh, I don't know. But dad and the grown ups are all by the stairs. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to hide!" He didn't even wait for her to respond before opening the door to a nearby closet to hide in. Ali stood for a second and began to question her skills as a mother before shaking her head. "His father's kid. That's all Conor." She murmured to herself before walking to where Leo pointed out. Walking up, she saw the 'grown ups' standing in front of the stairs, one of the grown ups being her husband.

"Ah, so which grown up is it making more noises than the children?" She teased, seeking out her husband from the group. "Why do I feel like it had something to do with you?" Once she was standing next to him she left a kiss on his cheek and greeted everyone and congratulating her nephew and his girlfriend on their future edition. "Get enough sleep while you can. This family breeds energetic monsters." Turning to Conor, she lowered her voice over everyone else's conversations. "Have you seen Finn? I may need his medical expertise." ​